The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-25
al aH)eTicaQ Beauty.


 The rise of Mrs. Blackie Tanner in English society can only be likened, for rapidity and brilliancy, to the flight of rocket. Whether the simile can be carried any further, the following narrative will sufficiently show.
 Mrs. Blackie Tanners history com- menced on board homeward- bound Cunarder. She was not actually born on board, but it is an understood thing that American ladies, when transcendently beautiful, have no an- tecedents. They are born again, as it were, in crossing the Atlantic. There fore, when we have ascertained that Mrs. Blackie Tanner duly paid her fare as a saloon passenger by the "Um- bria," and brought with her at least double the quantity of luggage that prosperous duchess would require, it is unnecessary to push inquiries fur ther back. Let Us suppose that she rose from the sea in New York harbor just before the Cunarder sailed-like the American Venus that she cer- tainly was.
 Mrs. Tanner, who, wherever she came from, had been brought up with her eyes open, crossed in the autumn, when good many English people worth knowing were booking their passages homeward. She was thus able to turn her six days in the saloon of the "Umbria" to very good account. Before she landed at Liverpool she had secured invitations to a couple of un- eXceptionable country houses, one of which was Lord Oldentoff's hospita- ble mansion in Suffolk. Lord Olden- toff was widower, and had no notion of changing his condition, but he fell, nevertheless, good deal under the sway of the fair American, and made himself useful to her in more ways than one. Among other things he wrote a diplomatic little note com mending her to the good graces of his cousin, Lady Gertrude Haughton, who had reigned for long period as one of the queens of London society, and who was privileged to move in that sacred inner circle of fashion which has its center in Marlborough House. By sedulously improving her opportunities in this and other ways. Mrs. Blackie Tanner made enough friends before the next London season opened to insure her prosperous de- but in the metropolis, and once launched there, her beauty, talents, and knowledge of the world soon did the rest. In her upward career, how ever, she owed nothing to the favor of Lady Gertrude Haughton, the reason for which shall now be explained.
 By dint of constant circumspection in her conduct and company, Lady Gertrude Haughton had succeeded in achieving reputation for rigid ex- clusiveness which was almost unique: in fact, by many competent judges, to be on Lady Gertrude's visiting list was regarded as an even more satisfac- tory social testimonial than to have kissed the hand of the sovereign or dined at the table of the heir apparent. It need hardly be said, therefore, that Lady Gertrude was not the person to accept an aspirant for social eminence on a mere certificate from a vagrant nobleman that he picked up this lady on the deck of an Atlantic steamer. and found her as charming as she was beautiful. Her ladyship made an agreeable reply to Lord Oldentof7s letter: but she determined that she would personally investigate the fair American before committing herself.
 It was not long before an oppor- tunity of 30 doing presented itself, in the shape of an invitation to certain Mrs. Gatherum's, where the new beauty was to be on view. By this time Lady Gertrude's interest in Mrs. Blackie Tanner was stimulated by the reports which had reached her of that lady's marvellous Vaccinations. She accordingly swallowed certain antiquities towards Mrs. Gatherum, and went to inspect the American wonder. On entering the room, her lady ship was pleased to meet an inti- mate acquaintance of her own from the United States, in the person of MT. Southern Polo, the great traveller, who had lately taken up his abode in this country. This gentleman Lady Gertrude soon contrived to take aside